You know how it is, you've got a great top, dress or bodycon bottom to wear, but none of your bras or panties make you look right underneath. Whether it's a seam showing through here, a bit of lace coming out of the neckline there or a strap you can't quite tame, without the right lingerie your look is in trouble. Do yourself a favor: rather than waiting until the last minute to find something that works, keep an arsenal at home, on hand. Extra bonus: it'll help you style your outfit when you can put it on with the right underthings rather than having to imagine them there. Keep in mind these are the basics, if you've got some out of control J.Lo Grammy dress, you might want to schedule a special shopping trip.

T-Shirt Bra

Do you really need a T-shirt bra, even if you rarely sport tees? Yes, you do. The idea is that a T-shirt bra doesn't have any embellishment that would ruin the shape of a plain T-shirt. But this goes for any of your basic tops from the classic white button down to a pretty chiffon blouse.

Front-Close Bra

Here's the deal with front-closers you may not know: They're ideal to separate the girls and diminish cleavage. Why would you want to do that? Well, if you're wearing a low U-neck or V-neck and want to keep it classy, or if you have a long chain necklace you want to stay front and center rather than bouncing on top of the twins, getting all crooked. Trust me when I say, these situations come up more often than you think.

Color Basics

It's not exciting, it's not necessarily sexy, but it is important you have a go-to full coverage style that's comfortable; and that you have in white, black and nude. When it comes to dressing in your everyday wardrobe (and maximizing versatility), it pays to be safe.

Legit Strapless

Why do I say "legit?" Because most strapless bras aren't. They just don't stay put and hold up — literally. And forget about it if you're busty, the typical strapless will push your girls up so high they'll be introduced to your chin. My personal favorite alternative is the strapless bra by Spanx; it's heavy duty and it works, regardless of your size. It wasn't until I got one of these that I could actually start wearing strapless dresses. True story.

Racerback Hardware

Many, but not all, front-closing bras are also racerback, so you can kill two birds with one stone there. Or you can buy one of these plastic guys that convert your regular bras into a racerback. I prefer them, as genuine racerbacks typically don't offer a lot of support. Think you can just skip racerback attire? Think again. More and more summer tanks are being cranked out in this style. Besides, a girl's back is super sexy, the racer style let's you show it off!

Lacy and Racy Bra

Here style meets fun and function. The stretch lace is very comfortable and the demi style pushes your girls out and together for some extra cleavage. This bra is why I didn't have to include the erstwhile "miracle" bra on this list. The pushup action isn't too out of control, just right. Think of it as your sexy basic.

Seamless Boy Shorts

On to undies. We've so many different kinds of underwear in our drawers, it's silly. You really only need two styles. The boy shorts work under anything, but are especially good to wear under short and/or slightly see-through bottoms. Never have to worry about bending over or showing more than you want. Plus, they're sexy on, too.

Thong

This is your second must-have undie. This type exactly. There are a lot of styles out there. But this one doesn't dig anywhere you don't want it to, it stays in place, looks good on and comes in like 6,000 colors. Okay, maybe not 6,000. But virtually every retailer that sells thongs, sells a version of this type. So there are a lot of choices.

Jennifer Davidson joined theFashionSpot team as Managing Editor in November 2010. In addition to overseeing the editorial content of the site, she shares her fashion, beauty, and pop culture obsessions in her weekly column The Love List. Prior to joining the tFS team, Jennifer produced fashion segments for television, and is also the co-founder of StyleBakery.com.